When your older, trust me
by TifaAndAerith
Summary: What were to happen if, instead of Harry, Hermione were to find Draco Malfoy in the bathroom, sobbing his Slytherin heart out? Will she be disgusted by what Draco's set out to do, or will she try to help him? A small dose of Dramione, hope it's enough!
1. Lost and Found

Hermione Granger froze on her way to Charms, just outside a bathroom. She glanced around the corridor, checking nobody was around, and tiptoed towards the door quietly. Someone was crying! A boy, by the sound of it. Perhaps it was a young First year, therefore it was her duty as a Prefect to see if she could help. But…this was obviously a boys bathroom. She gritted her teeth. The boy was obviously distressed, so she mumbled incoherently to herself and silently pushed the door open, slipping in the room and letting the door shut behind her. Looking around, she couldn't help but notice this wasn't a boys bathroom, but, judging by the sizeable puddles on the floor, Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

Hermione glanced towards the source of the noise and had to muffle a gasp.

Draco Malfoy was standing with his back to the door, his hands clutching either side of the sink, his white-blond head bowed.

Hermione quickly, and quietly, concealed herself behind a cubicle and listened closely.

Moaning Myrtle's voice crooned out from a nearby cubicle "Don't. Don't…. tell me what's wrong…. I can help you…"

'No one can help me," said Malfoy. Hermione chanced a peek from behind the cubicle, and was surprised to see his whole body was shaking with tears. "I can't do it…I can't…it won't work….and unless I do it soon….he says he'll kill me…"

Hermione stepped forward slowly, the sight of Malfoy breaking down had shocked her. It was odd to thing of him as a human, one that was capable of emotion.

Moaning Myrtle seemed to realise she was doing no good, and rose into the air above her cubicle before diving head first into the toilet. Hermione could hear the gurgling for a few moments before all was silent except for Malfoy.

Hermione tilted her head slightly, her chocolate brown eyes softening at the sight of him. It was unbelievable she could feel pity for him, after all he'd done, after all he said he would do.

Malfoy gasped and gulped and then, with a great shudder, looked up into the cracked mirror and saw Hermione staring at him over his shoulder.

"Granger?!" he exclaimed, wheeling around to face her, whipping his wand out angrily.

She gasped, surprised, and her hand instantly reached for her wand in her pocket, pulling it out and pointing it at Malfoy, while backing quickly towards the door. Malfoy realised what she was doing, and advanced quickly, disarming her and catching her wand before she knew what happened.

Meanwhile, Hermione had reached the door and was desperately trying to find the doorknob behind her while keeping her eyes on Malfoy, who looked positively murderous.

He glared at her, and hissed "Colloportus!" effectively locking the door. She whimpered and backed herself completely against the door, ready to defend herself physically if necessary.

Malfoy got close enough to forcefully grab her wrists, and hold them at her sides, keeping her from slipping away. His and Hermione's wands were both still in his right hand, causing harmless red sparks to shower onto the floor and into a puddle.

"How much did you hear?!" he demanded, his voice shaking with fear.

Hermione winced, purposely slipping down the door, her knees landing painfully in the puddle. Malfoy was forced into a bowing position, holding her arms above her head. "Malfoy, I swear if you don't let go-" she threatened, sounding much braver than she felt.

"Granger, how much did you _**hear**_!?" he repeated loudly, shaking her wrists for good measure. The wands in his grasp let out more angry red sparks.

"Alright, alright!" she yelled back, quite scared now. This Malfoy was different.

Sure, the usual Malfoy was an ass, but this Malfoy..

He seemed out of control, and all he cared about was if she had heard something..

"You were talking to Myrtle…you said nobody could help you, and someone was going to kill you if you didn't do something soon." she told him, intent on calming him down.

Hermione looked up at him from her painful position, he looked positively terrified, his face was drawn and pale, contrasting horribly with his blond hair. His grey eyes were wide and fearful, but with not-so-subtle hints of anger.

She then felt the grasp on her wrists relax, and he let her go.

Hermione sighed in relief, maybe she could get out of this soon.. Get to Harry, or Dumbledore.

But as she looked up again, rubbing her wrist, she was shocked to see Malfoy had dropped to his knees in front of her, a look of surprise on his face as he stared at something over her shoulder.

Hesitantly, Hermione pushed herself to her feet, watching him the whole time. He didn't move.

Water had soaked through her tights, skirt, and book bag. Great..

"Don't tell anybody about this." he said quite suddenly.

She gave him a sour look, but he didn't see. So, she made a non-committal noise, and tried to wring most of the moisture out of her skirt.

"Malfoy… you know, you don't have to do this…" she whispered, watching him fearfully.

"Shut up," he said instantly, "You don't know _**anything**_, all right Granger?"

"Fine," she hissed in return. "_**Fine**_. Unlock the door, and we'll just pretend this didn't happen, shall we?"

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Harry tilted his head as he listened to Professor Flitwick, not really taking in what was being taught. Him and Ron were both slightly worried. Hermione hadn't shown up for Charms, and class was almost over. Right, he thought to himself, when Charms is over, he was going up to Gryffindor tower to look for her, it didn't matter if he was late for Transfiguration. This was one of his best friends they were talking about. A few years ago, this wouldn't have worried him. She could have fallen asleep, like in there 3rd year. But now.. Now there were Death Eaters everywhere, even in the school… and his thoughts strayed to Malfoy, who was also absent from Charms. Probably in the room again, doing whatever it was he's doing..

Just as Harry's thoughts wandered to what Draco Malfoy could possibly be up to, the door opened quietly, hidden by the noise of screeching owls and lizards they were meant to be charming.

Harry was forced out of his reverie by a tap on the shoulder. It was Hermione!

And she was.. Soaking wet…

"Hermione, where were you? Class is almost over! And why are you wet?" he asked, glancing down at her sodden uniform. Luckily they were in the back of the class, nobody had noticed her slip in.

Hermione was about to reply, when the door behind them opened a second time, and Draco Malfoy skulked in, looking sullen, and sat beside Pansy Parkinson without a glance at Harry.

Hermione swallowed loudly, and shook her head. "Talk later. Can I borrow your wand? Mine's….gone."

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Editors note:

Okay, this is the first fic I've written in three years, so this is just practice. ^^ Please, feel welcome to give me contructive critisism, but don't shred my story to bits. I write based on what I would like to read, so I hope you enjoy yourself too! ^^

In this fic, Draco is going a bit funny with fear of Voldemort, and who better to comfort him than our favourite bushy haired witch? :D

Harry Potter and all other characters belong to JK Rowling, I just put them in compromising positions ;)

If anybody at all is interested in this fic I will upload the next chapter. :)


	2. Draco Unhinged

Walking down to lunch, Hermione stuck unusually close to Harry and Ron, her uniform now dry thanks to Harry.

"So," started Harry, as they sat at Gryffindor table, and Ron pulled a plate of sausages towards him, "Care to tell us what's going on?"

Hermione sighed, leaning on her elbows lazily. "Alright, well.. I was on my way to Charms and I heard-" she begun, but the look on Harry and Ron's faces made her pause. "What?" they were both looking at something above Hermione's head with a look of disgust and hatred.

"Can we help you, Malfoy?" asked Ron, with disdain. Hermione gasped, and spun around.

And indeed, there he was.

Less than an inch away from her.

Draco looked down at her, his eyes filled with fear. "Wh-what are you doing?" he muttered quietly.

She groaned inwardly, this was definitely not the Malfoy she had known for six years. He was so scared…

"She's talking to her friends, d'you mind?" shot Harry.

Malfoy spared Harry a glance, before returning his frightening gaze to Hermione.

"We need to talk." he spoke through gritted teeth, grabbing her forearm, completely forgetting they were surrounded by people.

"Get your hands off her!" Ron snarled, rising from his seat and raising his wand threateningly. Malfoy let her go as though he had been burnt.

"Malfoy! Weasley!" a shrill voice called out.

Harry let out a groan and slumped on the table in front of him.

Professor McGonagall appeared as if from nowhere beside Ron, a stern look on her haggard face. "What's going on here, boys?" she demanded, crossing her arms and pursing her lips.

Draco threw a pointed look at Hermione, and promptly stalked out of the Great Hall without looking back.

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"Oh…damn! He still has my wand!" Hermione complained hours later, after she had admitted to Harry what she had seen and heard. Ron was sitting in front of the common room fire staring into it as though he didn't really see it. He had been silent since he had heard what Malfoy had done.

Harry glanced up at this news and frowned "I'll get it." he said instantly, keen to be anywhere near Malfoy so he would get a good chance to hex him.

"Harry…I don't think Malfoy's exactly himself at the moment…" she murmured "He didn't hurt me back in the bathroom…" she sighed, deep in thought.

Ron jumped up and paced the room "Yeah, but the git still touched you didn't he? Wait until…" he trailed off grumpily.

Hermione sighed, stood up and began to walk towards the portrait hole. "Oi!" said Ron, "Where are you off to?"

Hermione pressed open the hole and started to step through it.

"Ron, calm down. I'm going to get my wand back." she said simply, and stubbornly. She was tired of them treating her like a porcelain doll.

"Not alone!" he complained, following after her. She stopped, and whipped around. "Ron, if you come, you'll only make matters worse!" she argued. He continued to follow her. "I'll just walk with you!" he insisted. But Hermione groaned, and turned back to face him.

"As soon as I get my wand, I'm out of there. I won't need to speak to him again, right?" she smiled, making his heart melt. "A-alright then.." he mumbled, defeated, sloping back to the portrait hole sulkily.

Hermione sighed with relief as soon as he was out of earshot. Of course, she hadn't been entirely truthful with Ron. She also wanted to again extend a hand of help to Draco, and perhaps learn more about what he needed to do.

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She found him in a most odd place. Waiting in the Entrance hall.

She glanced around, not many people were still out and about.

So, she swallowed her pride, and walked right up to him.

He looked down to her with an expression as though he could hardly believe she would boldly do something like that.

"My wand?" she hinted, holding out her hand pointedly.

"Come with me." he hissed, stalking out of the gigantic doors towards the Lake, without a backwards glance.

Hermione groaned, but nevertheless, followed.

About five minutes had past, she was about to complain to Malfoy about the lengthy walk, but he suddenly stopped, looked around and waited for her to catch up.

Hermione reached him, and watched him impatiently.

"Well?" she prompted.

"Did you tell Potter?" he demanded, leaning against a tree, cocking one leg against it.

She thought about this for a moment.

"…Yes. Malfoy, you don't have to do thi-" she started. But he interrupted her loudly.

"I told you…didn't I say, don't tell anybody?" he spat out, a wave of hysteria in his voice.

"Yes, but-"

"After all the work I've done, after everything… oh god…. How could I be so stupid to let you go!" he hissed, his pale hands curling into fists. If only he knew how to perform a memory charm, all of this would be fixed in an instant..

"Malfoy! Look, they knew you were up to something anyway. If you just choose the right side, all of this can be taken care of, don't you see?" she interrupted nervously, taking a step towards him.

Suddenly, Draco collapsed onto the dirty ground, holding his head in his hands, not caring Hermione Granger saw this, not caring what she heard. It was all over, all over. He would surely die. Voldemort didn't forgive so easily.

Hermione was shocked, she hadn't expected this!

Draco Malfoy was falling apart right in front of her! Should she leave? Help him? What to do when your enemy lets you see there worst side..


	3. A Turning Point

Three months had past since Draco Malfoy had accepted Albus Dumbledore's protection, yet still Harry refused to trust him.

"Honestly, Harry, he's on our side now." Hermione reprimanded, giving him a burning look from across the room.

Harry rolled his eyes, glaring out the grimy window that overlooked the square outside Number Twelve Grimmauld Place.

"I don't care. You and the rest of the Order may have fallen for his act, but I just have a feeling.." he muttered darkly, regretting it as soon as he saw Ron and Hermione exchange a glance from the corner of his eye.

"Harry," Hermione begun, "You didn't see him back at Hogwarts, he was really terrified!"

Harry grimaced, remembering how Hermione had staggered into the Entrance Hall, Malfoy clutching her arm, drenched in rain, asking for Dumbledore.

The sight had sickened him.

"Maybe he's taken acting lessons from Snape…" grumbled Harry, glancing over at the pair.

Hermione suddenly sprang to her feet.

"Oh for goodness sake, Harry! Dumbledore believes him, I believe him, that should be enough!" she snapped, before striding from the room, leaving a shocked silence in her wake.

Though Harry wasn't the only one who's attitude was unchanging.

Draco, though he had given in and accepted the Order's offer, still harboured a deep resentment of Harry, Ron and Hermione, though he tried hard to be nice to Hermione at the very least.

Hermione strode up the winding staircase, not sparing so much as a glance at the kitchen behind her.

She stopped abruptly outside a dark oak door, and knocked softly, before pushing it open slowly.

He sat on the bed, staring at the grimy covers sadly, though looked up when he heard her footsteps.

"Hello…Draco." she said, a strange, alien feeling swept over her as she spoke his name. It should be _Malfoy. _

Instead of answering, he raised a blonde eyebrow in acknowledgement, and watched her curiously as she sat on the bed beside him.

"H-how are you?" she asked, giving him a nervous smile. That's right, Hermione, be nice. Show you believe him, she thought to herself. Let him know he's not alone.

"Fine, Gr- Hermione.." his tongue burned at the use of her name. This wasn't right! It should be _Granger_. He pulled a face at the feeling, he would get used to it soon enough.

Hermione saw the grimace, and misunderstood.

"I'm sorry, I'll just-.. Leave.." she whispered, horror-struck.

How could she be so stupid! He probably wanted to be alone..

She stood up quickly, but was only halfway to the door when a quiet voice behind her said; "Wait.."

Hermione turned her head, shocked.

Draco hung his head, embarrassed. The red in his cheeks clashed horribly with his blonde-white hair.

"Wait," he repeated, "Sit with me?" he asked, a hint of desperation in his voice, not well hidden.

Hermione gave him a small smile, and nodded, returning to the bed.

"Okay." she murmured, staring at her shoes.

A moment of silence went by, both of them looking anywhere but at each other.

Another moment.

And another, before-

"Thank you.."

Unsure if she had heard correctly, Hermione looked up at Malfoy.

He was looking at the ceiling, his head tilted back. Looking closer, she saw his grey, cold eyes were sparkling with tears.

"I- um.. It's .. it's okay.." she garbled, taken aback by this surprise outburst of emotion.

Draco had spent most of the three months he had been with the Order in the room he shared with Remus Lupin and Kingsley Shacklebolt (when they were there anyway..), emerging only for meals, and the occasional meeting, which were usually about him, or what information he could provide. Due to this, he had had next to no contact with Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George or Ginny, except when Hermione and Ginny struck up the nerve to come and see him. And those little occurrences were filled with awkward silences and pitiful attempts at conversation.

"For bringing me here," he interrupted her, "I'm just…." he broke off, the tears brimming over and making him choke.

He looked at the floor, raising a hand to wipe at the tears impatiently.

"I'm - I'm scared, alright, Granger? What if he killed my parents because I was a coward? What if he finds me? What if he _kills _me?" he begged of her, his body shaking.

Hermione's mouth had fallen open as she watched him open up to her, and she shut it as soon as she realised. "I know how terrifying this must be for you, Draco. But you know you did the right thing? You weren't a coward. You were, and still are, amazingly brave. He hasn't found you so far, we're sure of it. He thinks your in New Zealand. We're doing a good job of leaking him false information." she nodded, giving him a reassuring smile. She had purposely avoided the question on his parents. She was in the same mind as Malfoy on that one.

Silence engulfed them once again, except for Malfoy's shuddering gasps as he calmed down.

Hermione watched him, as she did she felt her heart soften. He wasn't bad, not bad at all. He was a broken man, and she felt a strange urge to help him, in anyway she could.

Throwing caution to the wind, she gently placed a hand on his shoulder. He didn't react, so she wrapped her arm around his shaking shoulders, and pulled him into a cautious hug.

He surprised her again by letting his head fall onto her shoulder, and sliding his arms around her in return.

Hermione smiled to herself, and rested her head on his.

And from that moment on, Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy were friends.


	4. The Dream

Hey, it's Tori here.

Before you read the next chapter, I'd just like to thank you all so much for taking the time to write reviews for my story. I never thought anybody would actually _like_ my story!

Just so you know, I have the entire plot planned out in my head (trust me, it will be a surprise ending!), it's just hard to fill in the gaps sometimes.

If you have any ideas for the next chapters _please let me know! Whether they be the smallest events, or something EPIC. Just remember, I'm kind of obsessive about keeping everybody in character as much as possible. ^^ _

_About this chapter;_

_I know it may seem quite fast, and I am sorry. ):_

_But just remember, they have been at Grimmauld place for several months now._

_Let the chapter ….BEGIN!_

_-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_A long, grey finger trailed eerily over my cheek. I tried to grab at the hand over my face, but, strangely, I couldn't move. I was paralysed. _

_My mind instantly went into panic mode, where was I?_

_What was happening to me?_

_I tried to scream, but nothing reached my ears except for a shrill, cold laugh, very nearby._

_My heart raced , my ribs aching, head spinning._

_Coward._

_The hand belonging to somebody who I do not know crept down my neck, causing me to shiver, or I would have if I had been capable of it, down my left arm to just above my wrist, where it wrapped its slender fingers around my thin wrist and held tight._

_I took a breath, scared of what would come next._

_And then suddenly, blinding pain seared through my arm, through my torso, my neck, my legs, my head._

_The binding curse lifted, and I reared my back, tried to pull away from my torturer, but his grasp was strong. I let out a bloodcurdling scream, and I heard laughter in return._

_That same cruel laughter._

_The pain settled for a mere millisecond, during which I was able to open my eyes and look at my arm._

_A black, thin wand was pressing hard into my skin, where a black and green skull tattoo had formed, a slithering snake worming its way out of the mouth._

_And the pain engulfed me again, my eyes forced shut with the searing pain as I heard that high laughter again, mixed with my own cries and a low voice._

_Coward._

_Coward_

_Co-_

"_Draco?" a meek, quiet voice whispered in Draco Malfoy's ear._

_His eyes snapped open, the scene had changed._

_He was lying in a bed that was too small for him, the sheets clinging to his bare chest, sticky with his sweat. There was a cold hand on his left wrist._

_He gasped, yanking his arm away fearfully, before turning his eyes to the hand's owner._

_It was Hermione._

_She was kneeling at his bedside, want lit to illuminate the dark room, looking terrified._

"_Draco, are you sick?" she asked, still whispering, but withdrawing her hand._

_She was wearing pyjama pants, light green and strawberry pink stripes, and a matching singlet. Her hair was hanging around her pale face lifelessly._

_Draco put two and two together, and realised it must be the early hours of the morning._

_Although he had also realised he must be at Grimmauld Place, where it was safe, he quickly glanced around his shoulder at the bare wall behind him, looking for Voldemort ,and at the door, which was bolted shut._

_He noticed this, and found his voice to say:_

"_I thought we bolted the door so Kreacher-" _

"_I used Alohomora, I heard you yelling from my room…" Hermione interrupted quietly, in contrast to his loud voice._

_He watched her silently, his mouth slightly open._

_She had surprised him, being there when he had awoken._

_Usually, after these nightmares, this imagined hell inside his head, he was alone, and had to recover alone._

"_T-thank you.." he whispered in return, and reached out to grab her hand, slipping his fingers in between hers, and pulled her closer. _

_Hermione sighed in relief, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders soothingly, resting her chin on his head._

"_What happened?" she asked, sitting on the bed awkwardly, her arms still around Draco's torso._

_Draco noticed her discomfort, and, with his hands either side of her waist, he pulled her over his lap carefully._

_Hermione let out a small squeak in response to this, and slowly let him go, her chocolate brown eyes meeting his metallic silver ones._

"_Draco?" she prompted, wrapping her arms around herself to keep warm._

_He waited a moment before answering, taking in the situation._

_Hermione's legs were draped over his knees, his hands still holding her upright by the waist._

_A small blush crept over Draco's visage, and he was instantly glad that it was dark._

_He quickly removed his large hands and crossed his arms across his bare chest shyly, leaning his head back on the wall._

"_I.. just had a nightmare…"_

"_What about?"_

"………_nothing."_

"_Please, you can tell me."_

"_No, it was just a silly dream, honestly."_

"_Draco, don't insult my intelligence, I heard you screaming."_

_He was stopped short, thinking hard._

_He couldn't let her know the dreams he'd been having, or she'd think he was the same as precious Potter._

_Except this was different. _

_He was a different kind of Chosen One…_

_A very reluctant one._

_He had to find a way to… get her mind off it.._

"_I'm sorry I woke you up anyway. You should go back to bed, we have to go back to Hogwarts tomorrow." he reminded her, failing at hiding the dismay in his voice._

_He didn't want her to go._

_He didn't want to be alone again._

_And to go back to sleep._

_To return to the Dark Lord's clutches._

_Although he couldn't see it, he knew she had the same face Professor McGonagall had when a student was blatantly lying to her._

"_Look Malfoy," he scoffed at the reuse of his last name, "Either you tell me what the problem is, or I won't talk to you for a week." she threatened._

_Draco winced, he didn't want that._

"_Alright.." he begun, but a brilliant idea struck him._

_He had thought about this for weeks, dreamt about it before the nightmares begun._

_His old Slytherin streak returned, and he smirked in the dark._

_Sitting up slowly, he grabbed Hermione's shoulder's and turned her towards him._

_This close, in the small sliver of moonlight, he could see her._

_Her eyes; smooth brown, long lashes. Her eyebrows perked up in confusion._

_Her cheeks, pale with lack of sleep, but clear as ever._

_But that wasn't what he was searching for._

_Her lips; light pink and slightly open, and delicious-looking._

_Draco leaned forward, rammed his lips to hers and then suddenly he was feeling as if he'd never felt, it was as though fireworks were going off in his head, surely he must be dying, because this felt as though he could never possibly survive._

_The emotions!_

_Happy._

_Angry._

_Exultant._

_Aroused._

_Awed._

_Fearful._

_As all this was running through his head, something unexpected happened._

_Hermione let out a small, surprised gasp, and kissed back._


	5. Addicted to Draco Malfoy

Ok guys, sorry for the huge delay between chapters lately.

Unfortunately, my family just finished relocating~!

Thank you all so much for your reviews! ^^ Keep it up, cause if there were no reviews there would be no story.

* * *

All Hermione knew at that moment was warmth.

The bright morning sun shining on her face.

Draco's arm slung carelessly around her waist.

Even the thin sheets covering them.

All Hermione knew was warmth. And happiness.

She couldn't quite believe what had happened just a few hours ago.

Draco Malfoy?!

Well, she thought to herself as she opened her eyes tiredly, he had changed, right?

But when she saw his sleeping form all previous doubts were erased from her mind.

He was so beautiful.

Pearly skin, almost white, with just a hint of peach on his cheeks.

His platinum blonde hair, lightly tousled, falling around his pointed face.

Hermione couldn't help it, she grinned.

But suddenly, the peacefulness of the moment was shattered, when Draco's eyes snapped open and he glanced towards her.

"Morning.." he whispered softly, propping himself on one elbow and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

She smiled sweetly, her thoughts beginning to blur around the edges, and she felt her face blush.

"Good morning." she replied quietly, her eyes glancing downwards as though she couldn't help herself.

He was naked, his lower half covered by bedding. But his bare chest alone was enough to make her blush even harder, her face widening into a grin.

Draco noticed this, and smirked, tipping her chin upwards with his knuckle. "What exactly are you thinking about right now, Granger?" he muttered smoothly, inching closer to her as he spoke.

Hermione merely squeaked, unable to speak as she felt his piercing grey eyes on her, and his warm breath warming her cheek.

"Are you thinking about me?" he teased, pressing his lips gently against her cheek, kissing down her jaw line until he reached her lips. Hermione gasped, and leant forward eagerly, wrapping her arms behind his neck, but to her shock, he pulled away, slipping out of the bed slowly, wrapping the sheet around his legs loosely.

Hermione looked up sadly, hurt at the rejection.

"What did I do?" she asked quietly, her eyes downcast.

Draco hesitated, hovering by the window. "You didn't do anything, Granger. Potter and Weasley will be up soon, and I'm pretty sure they won't be happy if you're in my bed." he chuckled half-heartedly, and bent down to pick up his clothing.

Hermione brightened up instantly, sitting herself up in the bed, watching him grab her clothes also and throw them at her. "Here." he added kindly, not wanting to upset her again.

She smiled, and pulled them on under the sheet she was left with.

* * *

As the five of them boarded the Hogwarts, Hermione wondered where exactly her and Draco stood with one another.

They weren't just friends now, she knew that. They had shared too much.

But were they….dating? Hermione chuckled, she couldn't imagine it.

But… then…what were they?

She made a mental note to ask him, as she, Harry and Ron turned into an empty compartment. Draco waved his hand slightly and begun down the corridor.

Hermione leaned forward. "Where's Draco going?" she asked in a whisper.

Ron begun to answer, but Harry cut in rudely. "Come on Hermione, did you think he would hang out with us? He already has friends." he mumbled bitterly. Harry was almost as rude to Hermione as he was to Draco now.

Hermione stared at him in silence, before slumping back in her seat sulkily.

The rest of the train ride was filled with the sounds of Harry and Ron's wizard chess match, and the rustle of pages as Hermione skimmed The Daily Prophet.

As she skimmed, she thought.

Her relationship with Harry and Ron was slowly thinning due to the amount of time she spent with Draco, and she knew it was wrong, almost cruel of her.

But being around Draco gave her so much more than she ever got from hanging around with Ron and Harry.

She couldn't stay away from Draco, and only now, when she was facing several months of it, did she realise.

Oh god, she grimaced, she was addicted to Draco Malfoy!

But…if he could just walk away like this, and go back to his Slytherin pals….

It meant he didn't feel the same way, he didn't feel like if they were apart too long that he would wither away.

She was so pathetic! She cursed herself, angry. She was meant to be the responsible one, the one with her head screwed on tight. Now she felt like her head was floating somewhere in the clouds.

Hermione sighed, watching Harry and Ron closely.

She loved them, she did. But right now, and it was horrible to think it, they didn't matter as much as being with Draco.

Hermione scowled, wanting to hit herself, and kicked her legs out onto the seat, lying her head on Ron's lap affectionately.

* * *

While they were unloading their luggage from the train onto Hogsmeade platform, while they were in the Thestral-pulled carriages, during dinner and as they walked to the Gryffindor common room, Hermione was waiting. Waiting for some sign that Draco would still want her.

On the train, she had started to delude herself that he had used her. Maybe he had.

Just a thing before he got back to Hogwarts, where he could get laid every night.

And it forced her deeper and deeper into her depression.

She thought he had changed!

How silly and naïve she was…

Now they were in the common room. Catching up with friends.

Now her, Lavender and Parvarti were going up to the girls dormitory. The other two were talking about boys.

Hermione was still emerged in her thoughts.

"…Hermione?" a voice interrupted, and she was shocked to see she was in bed. Was she really that distracted?

"Yeah?" she asked in response, recognising the voice as Lavender Brown's.

"What was it like spending the holidays with Draco Malfoy?" she giggled, and four more giggles resounded like an echo from the other beds.

Hermione felt her face redden, and she pulled her curtains as casually as possible.

"Um…not bad.." she couldn't help but grin.

Silence, then more giggles.

"Oh Hermione! What's he like?" Parvarti pressed.

"What do you mean? You've gone to school with him for six years." she replied tartly, before pulling the covers over her head and ignoring their laughter, falling into a troubled sleep.


	6. Going Cold Turkey

Almost a month had passed since Hermione, Ginny, Harry, Ron and Draco had returned to Hogwarts.

And Draco had made no effort at all to continue his friendship with Hermione.

Hermione was seething, and rightly so.

Thankfully, something good had come from this.

Ron and Harry had returned to treating Hermione as their best friend again, though Hermione still couldn't trust them enough to tell them what had gone on between her and Draco.

Ginny however, knew everything.

She had giggled, when Hermione had told her in a whisper during breakfast.

"Ginny! Concentrate, please." Hermione scolded her friend, elbowing her in the ribs grumpily.

Ginny shut up instantly, giving her friend a pitiful look.

"You've been thinking about him a lot haven't you?" she asked, studying her.

Hermione merely nodded, and they both sneaked a glance at the Slytherin table over their shoulders.

Draco Malfoy was seated between Pansy Parkinson and Blaise Zabini, staring at his plate sullenly.

Ginny returned her gaze to Hermione.

"Well…I don't blame you. He's the most wanted guy in school, 'Mione." she reminded her ruefully, a grin across her freckled face.

Hermione sighed "Yes, but now he's acting as if I don't exist. Maybe he realised that he made a mistake or something.." she mumbled sadly, playing with her toast.

Ginny groaned, hugging her friend tightly. "Maybe he hasn't had a chance to talk to you?" she suggested pitifully, her voice trailing away as Harry and Ron approached.

"Who hasn't talked to you?" Ron asked curiously, sitting opposite Ginny.

Hermione hesitated, before deciding on the truth, or part of it at least. They must have noticed she wasn't hanging around with him anymore.

"Draco." she said simply, shrugging her shoulders casually.

Ron glared at Harry, who bit back the retort he was yearning to throw at Hermione.

"Is everything okay with you two? Back at Grimmauld place you two were like…" Ron shoved his hands together, his fingers laced in between each other, before glancing over at Malfoy.

"He doesn't look too happy, does he?" Harry muttered to Ron darkly.

Ginny glanced over her shoulder again to see what they meant, and nudged Hermione hurriedly.

"He looked at you!" she hissed in her ear excitedly, wriggling in her seat.

Hermione jumped, turning around quickly, but he had looked away. She turned back to her friends with a tear in her eye.

* * *

The next day, Hermione and Ginny were lying by the lake lazily, watching the Giant Squid annoy some fourth years who were swimming.

It was a warm Saturday, and the majority of the school was outside soaking up the sun.

Hermione was resting against a tree, her brown curls tied into a plait down her back, a large book at her side.

Ginny was resting her head on Hermione's lap, fiddling with a strand of her orange hair as she eyed a group of boys approaching.

As their green ties became apparent, Ginny squeaked, and elbowed Hermione painfully in the shin.

"Ow! Ginny, what..?" she complained loudly, cutting off as she noticed the boys passing.

Silence as the group headed towards the castle, then-

"I'm just going to talk to him." Hermione stated bravely, shutting her book with a sigh.

"What, now?" Ginny asked, surprised.

Hermione got to her feet, Ginny sitting up, and nodded, slinging her bag across her shoulder, and following the group of Slytherin's cautiously.

Walking up the stone steps leading to the Entrance Hall, her heart started hammering in her chest.

I can't believe I'm really going to confront him! Maybe I should wait… do it another time…

No! She stopped herself, shaking her head angrily. She had to do this, demand an explanation, or she would never know.

She had almost caught up to them now, Draco's bleach blonde head visible from the middle of the group, chatting animatedly.

She waited until they were about to turn into the library, and stepped forward nervously.

"Dra-Malfoy?" she stuttered, loud enough for him to hear.

He turned to her voice, as did the rest of his posse.

And then his cheek's were flaming red. She had embarrassed him. Great.

Well, she thought, he deserved it after the way he had been treating her.

Silence.

More silence.

"What?" he muttered, glaring at the floor.

"I need to talk to you, alone. A-About …. Professor Slughorn asked me to..to talk to you about your essay…" she grimaced slightly, it was a pitiful excuse.

She waited for his reply, watching him quietly. His friends were muttering to each other menacingly, it made her nervous.

"Fine, I'll meet you guys in a moment." he told his friends quietly.

The Slytherin's exchanged surprised expressions, and shuffled unwillingly into the library, the thick wooden door thudding shut after them, leaving an awkward silence behind them.

"….What the hell, Draco?" Hermione burst out unexpectedly, causing Draco to jump.

"What?!" she exclaimed, his blonde eyebrows narrowed angrily.

She strode closer to him, her mouth open slightly, her eyes burning. "You ditched me! You completely cut me out! It's not fair, Draco! After all I did for you back at Grimmauld Place? After we-"

But Draco interrupted, his voice raising from the angry whisper they had used before.

"You think it's my fault? I didn't want to do that! It's better if you just forget about it, forget about everything and we'll just go back to hating each other okay? Trust me, it's the best thing to do!" he insisted, almost pleading with her.

Hermione stopped short, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I did trust you. But not anymore, you ruined it. You ruined EVERYTHING!" she yelled, rushing forward and slapping him across the face.

And then she was punching every bit of him she could reach, and he was covering his head with his arms, terrified.

"Draco-Malfoy-you-are-such-an-ARGH!" she screamed, unable to think of an insult strong enough.

"Wha-hey! Granger-stop-.. STOP IT!" he complained, removing his arms for one moment to try and stop her flailing.

But Hermione was finished. Her face was wet with tears, and with one final push to his chest ( causing him to stumble backwards ) she turned on her heel, and stalked off down the corridor.

Draco stared after her, his grey eyes wide with shock at the assault.

He raised a finger to his lips, wiping away a small trickle of blood.

Anger and grief washed over him as he saw the blood, how the hell did it get to this?

He couldn't put up with this much longer.

Draco jumped to his feet and ran after Hermione.


	7. A Minor Slip Up

Finally catching up to Hermione, Draco lunged forward and wrapped his long, pale fingers around her upper arm, stopping her in her tracks.

Hermione swung around, looking murderous, her eyebrows knotted together, eyes glinting.

She pulled away.

"Don't touch me!" she hissed, and turned her back on him, resuming her path.

But Draco refused to give her up that easily.

This was his last chance, he needed this.

He grabbed her by the shoulders, spinning her to face him, then pushing her against the cool, stony wall beside them.

Hermione let out an audible gasp, and automatically begun to push and kick him in self defence.

Draco growled, and let go of her shoulders in favour of her wrists, holding them tightly in one hand against her chest.

With his other hand, he attempted to protect his groin area from her flailing knees.

"Merlin, Granger, calm down." he whispered seductively, leaning into her ear.

Hermione shuddered slightly as she felt his warm breath on her neck, and immediately ceased moving.

Draco couldn't help but smirk into her curls.

Hermione turned her head slightly, to look into his grey eyes, dark circles surrounding them, giving him a slightly gaunt look, but he was still as beautiful as the last time she had been close enough to notice.

Which, she reminded herself, was almost three months ago!

Her anger returned full force, and she resumed her struggles. Draco grimaced, tightening his grasp on her wrists, waiting for the few minutes it took for her to slump, tired, against him.

He looked down at her head laying defeated on his shoulder, and sighed.

He could feel her body beginning to shake with the tears that were surely running down her face, and he knew this was all his fault.

He grimaced again, and freed her wrists, taking her face in his hands, and looked into her eyes intensely.

Yes, they were filled with tears as he had anticipated, and fearful. This had him confused.

"What are you thinking, Hermione?" he asked quietly, his voice hoarse from the silence.

She shut her eyes, trying to stem the flow of tears behind her eyelids. It worked, and she answered him shakily "I want you."

Draco let this sink in, then blushed slightly, the red on his almost white face was strange.

He smirked again though, cocky in spite of himself.

Hermione realised what it would have translated to, and blushed also.

She wriggled out of his grasp, and crossed her arms, wiping her face on her sleeve discreetly before adding "I don't mean like that. I mean, I need you, all the time. Just to be around you , to talk to you. I-I think I love you…" she mumbled the last part, embarrassed.

Draco had let his hands fall to his sides as she had spoken; he was quite shocked at this new revelation.

A few moments of silence passed, before Hermione, feeling as though she had to say something, anything, muttered "Well, I'll go then…" as she took a step to the left.

Before she knew what hit her, she was back up against the wall, and Draco was furiously kissing her, and his right hand was roughly caressing the back of her skull, and her soft brown locks were wrapped around his fingers, and his other hand was tugging her skirt hem up desperately, baring her peaches and cream outer thighs.

Hermione gasped, pleasantly shocked, and wrapped her arms around his neck, entangling her fingers into his blonde hair, and pulled herself up into the kiss passionately.

Draco forced his tongue into her mouth, caressing her tongue with his hungrily, and Hermione let out a small moan as their tongue's danced, as he pulled her body onto his.

She could feel his fingers tracing circles near the hem of her panties, before he hooked one side under his thumb and tugged them down for easier access.

This made Hermione squeak in surprise, and she pulled her mouth away. "Wait, wait," she gasped, as he moved to her neck, pecking and nibbling up and down to her collarbone, "Not here!" she insisted, giving his hair a small tug to get his attention.

He sighed impatiently, raising his head to scan the wide corridor, looking for somewhere, somewhere close…

He grinned, and hitched her legs around his waist. "Hold on tight, Miss Granger." he whispered teasingly, and very carefully strode towards the very well hidden broom cupboard a few feet away from them.

Hermione clung to him tightly, as he had told her, and giggled, burying her head into his neck blushingly.

She heard a loud bang as he kicked the wooden door open, then the daylight disappeared, and they once again fell into their own beautiful world, Hermione forgot her anger, her sadness, her pain. Nothing else mattered.

* * *

Editors note;

Hi guys!

I'm so sorry its taking so long for me to update chapters! There are several reasons for this so I won't bother to tell you , but I'm really sorry!

I have a lot of time on my hands though, so the story will probably be complete in a few weeks.

-sad-

I'm thinking of writing a sequel, but I don't have many ideas, so let me know if you do!

PLEASE don't forget to review, I gotta know what you all think of the story, or I won't be able to improve xD


	8. Everything Matters

**Nothing else mattered.**

**Draco was shirtless, helping Hermione remove her uniform in the cupboard big enough for one, not one slither of light, and all that was on either one's minds were each other, every bit of each other and how much they needed them, then-**

**Harry turned. At once, there was that horrible sensation that he was being squeezed through a thick rubber tube; he could not draw breath, every part of him was being compressed almost past endurance and then, just when he thought he must suffocate, the invisible bands seemed to burst open, and he was standing in the cool darkness, breathing in lungfuls of fresh, salty air, then-**

**Hermione chuckled lightly as Draco kneeled on the ground before her, pulling her skirt down her legs ever so slowly, brushing her inner-most thigh with his thumb, teasing her.**

**She reached the last button on her cotton shirt, slipping it past her shoulders, down her arms, letting it fall to the floor, then-**

**Harry looked up at the cliff again and felt goosebumps.**

'**But his final destination - and ours - lies a little further on. Come.' Dumbledore beckoned Harry to the very edge of the rock, where a series of jaded niches that made footholds led down to boulders that lay half-submerged in water and closer to the cliff, then-**

**Hermione stepped out of the skirt, as Draco stood up again, holding her loosely around her waist, pulling her body to his, and lowering his head to kiss her precious lips once again.**

**Naturally, she kissed back with as much force as she could muster, her fingertips tracing over his chest lightly, then-**

'**Argh!'**

**Hermione had fallen back into the loads of old brooms, thrown her hands out to save herself and caught a hook protruding from the wall, which had kept her upright. She squinted into the darkness, terrified, and saw nothing.**

'**Draco?! What's wrong?' she asked worriedly, getting to the ground hurriedly to find her clothing, and her wand…**

'**No….nothing…not now..' she heard Draco growl, as though he was speaking to two people, her and some other mystery person.**

**Her breathing sped up, and she muttered 'Accio wand!' the thin piece of wood immediately flew to her hand, and she breathed a sigh of relief, and said 'Lumos!' **

**The tiny cupboard lit up, and Draco suddenly became a flurry of movement, grabbing the pile of clothes and holding them across his arms and naked torso almost defensively.**

**Hermione stood up, confused, 'Draco! What on earth's going on?' she demanded, looking down at him.**

**He was covering his arm with her skirt, and his bare chest with his bundled up shirt, an angry look on his face as he also got to his feet.**

'**I-I'm so sorry Hermione,' he shook his head, tears filling his eyes, 'I have to go.' he muttered this quietly, almost defeated.**

**He manoeuvred the clothing in his arms carefully, so that she couldn't see his body, and slid his white shirt over his arms, leaving it open as he bent down to pick up the rest of their clothes. **

**Hermione stood there, her mouth open slightly, staring at the floor blankly as he thoughtfully pulled her own school shirt over her arms for her, buttoning the front, and handed her the skirt, vest and tights, which she took wordlessly.**

**Draco buttoned his shirt carelessly, pulled his best over his head and strangely, pulled out his wand.**

**He spared Hermione a sad look, kissed her cheek, and gently pushed the door open, walking away.**

**The door thudded shut behind him, leaving Hermione in her shirt and underwear, her wand light flickering, tears dripping down her cheeks in silence.**

**Draco strode down the corridor, refusing to let the tears show themselves. **

**He buttoned his topmost button, forcing himself to focus on the task at hand.**

**This was it, what he'd been working towards.**

**What it was all about.**

**This was what mattered.**

**He nodded determinedly, and rushed up the Grand Staircase, glancing at his watch.**

**He couldn't help but notice that him and Granger (he wouldn't let himself think ….Hermione) had spent a long time together, it was dark already, and long past curfew. **

**His way was empty.**

**Finally, Draco reached the Seventh Floor, where he walked past a particularly blank part of wall three times, thinking one thing over and over.**

**I need the place where every thing's hidden.**

**Hermione let out a long, shuddering breath.**

**She yanked her black skirt over her thighs, slid her head through her vest, pulled her tights up impatiently.**

**Quietly, she pushed the door open, surprised to find that it was already dark.**

**She sighed, and begun to traipse towards the Grand Staircase.**

**He didn't care about her, that was the only resolution she could come to, as she walked, holding her hands to her chest.**

**He didn't want her, he didn't love her.**

**Tears sprang to the corners of her eyes and she wiped them away impatiently, going over the scenario over again in her head.**

**She was most confused about when he yelled.**

**He had seemed in pain..**

**And when he covered himself.. It wasn't anything she hadn't seen before.**

**When he left, it seemed as though he truly was sorry.**

**Hermione stopped in her tracks, right in front of the Fat Lady, as realisation took hold.**

**Harry was right!**

**He was a Death Eater.**

'**Merlin's Beard!' she gasped, and ran as fast as possible back the way she came.**

**Draco raised his hawthorn wand to eye level, and hissed the incantation 'Harmonia Nectere Passus!'**

**He stepped back quickly, waited, as the rushing sound of magical travel filled the large room.**

**And the door to the cabinet snapped open, and his aunt Bellatrix stepped out, followed by no less than five Death Eaters.**

**She gave him a victorious smile, and a proud look sparked in her black eyes.**

**Draco did not smile in return, he merely turned on his heel, and opened the door quietly, scanning the corridor.**

**He saw three figures leaning against the wall some feet away, staring right at him.**

**Draco hissed, and whipped the Hand of Glory out of his pocket with one hand, throwing the Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder in the air with the other.**

**She flew down the Grand Staircase, her hair falling from its plait easily.**

**He wasn't covering his body, he was covering the Dark Mark on his arm, she decided, furious with herself for not realising this sooner.**

**Where would he have gone? Surely he couldn't have left the castle..**

**Then a memory rushed into Hermione's head, and she stopped, leaning against the barrier of the set of steps.**

'**Harry Potter, sir,' squeaked Dobby, his great orblike eyes shining in the firelight, 'the Malfoy boy is breaking no rules that Dobby can discover, but he is still keen to avoid detection. He has been making regular visits to the seventh floor with a variety of other students, who keep watch for him while he enters-'**

'**The Room of Requirement!'**

**Hermione waited a mere second to get her breath back, and took off back up the Staircase.**

**Bellatrix fingered her wand lovingly, spinning it carelessly in her hand as she waltzed down the corridors childishly, cackling loudly.**

**Draco watched her irritably, his own wand firm in his hand.**

**Gibbon shouted loudly, a few feet behind them, 'Are we nearly there? This castle's like a bloody maze!'**

**Draco didn't turn his head, but scowled, and hissed in return 'Shut up! D'you want the whole castle waking up?'**

**Hermione spun around the corner, and screamed, colliding with something tall and ginger.**

'**Ron!' she gasped.**

'**Hermione? Where were you? Listen, Malfoy's brought in some Death Eaters from the Room of Requirement, and Harry's gone on a thing with Dumbledore! We have to find Lupin!' he informed her seriously.**

**Hermione noticed he had the Marauders Map and his wand tight in his hands. Ginny and Neville were looking over his shoulder, looking terrified.**

**She stared at them for a moment, then nodded.**

'**Ok, let's go.'**

* * *

**Editors note:**

**This chapter, as you may have noticed, contains excerpts from Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, they belong completely to JK Rowling, as do all the characters in this FAN fiction =)**

**Reviews please?**

**This is the longest chapter in the WHOLE story 8D**

**Poor Hermione..**


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